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Lieutenant Governor of California
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Current officeholder
The 49th and current lieutenant governor is Gavin Newsom, a Democrat elected in 2010. He assumed office on January 10, 2011, electing not to be sworn in on January 3 along with California's other state executive officers.[1] He will be up for re-election, if he chooses to run, in November 2014, and his term will end in January of the following year.
Before becoming lieutenant governor, Newsom served from 2004 to 2010 as mayor of San Francisco. He was a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1998 to 2004 and sat on the city's Parking and Traffic Commission from 1996 to 1998. Before beginning his political career, he ran PlumbJack, a wine shop that grew into a network of 15 businesses.[2]
Authority
The Constitution of California is established by Article V, the Executive.[3]
California Constitution, Article 5, Section 9
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The Lieutenant Governor shall have the same qualifications as the Governor. The Lieutenant Governor is President of the Senate but has only a casting vote. |
Qualifications
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The lieutenant governor must fulfill the same qualifications as the governor and may not hold any other public offices, engage in any lobbying, or accept any honorariums. He or she must be a registered voter in California, a resident of the state for at least five years on election day, and an American citizens for at least five years.
California Constitution, Article 5, Section 9
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The Lieutenant Governor shall have the same qualifications as the Governor. |
Elections
- See also: Gubernatorial election cycles by state
- See also: Election of lieutenant governors
California elects lieutenant governors on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in federal midterm election years, e.g. 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018.[4] Like all constitutional state officers, the lieutenant governor assumes office on the first Monday in the new year following the election. Thus, January 3, 2011 and January 5, 2015 are inaugural days.
California Constitution, Article 5, Section 11
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The Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Controller, Secretary of State, and Treasurer shall be elected at the same time and places and for the same term as the Governor. No Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Controller, Secretary of State, or Treasurer may serve in the same office for more than 2 terms. |
Term limits
Per Article 5, Section 11 of the state constitution, lieutenant governors, like all state constitutional officers, face an absolute limit of two terms in office.
Vacancies
The vacancy procedure for the office of lieutenant governor is determined by state statute, not the Constitution. When a vacancy occurs, the governor nominates a replacement to serve the remainder of the term under the next election. The appointee must be confirmed by a majority of both house of the California legislature. Until the replacement is approved, the former officeholder's chief deputy exercises the office.[5]
Duties
In addition to basically ceremonial roles, serving as acting governor in the absence of the governor, and as President of the California State Senate, the lieutenant governor either sits on, or appoints representatives to, many of California's regulatory commissions and executive agencies. A failed 1982 ballot initiative would have stripped the Lieutenant Governor of his or her position heading the Senate.
The lieutenant governor sits on the University of California Board of Regents, California State University Board of Trustees, Ocean Protection Council, the California Emergency Council, and the State Lands Commission.[6] The lieutenant governor serves alternate years as Chairperson of the State Lands Commission, during which he is also a member of the Coastal Commission.
The lieutenant governor of California chairs the Commission for Economic Development which is responsible for fostering economic growth in California by developing and implementing strategies for attracting new business to the state, increasing state exports, creating new jobs, and stimulating industries statewide.[7]
Many California projects created through gubernatorial executive orders, or through the initiative process, include a role for the lieutenant governor. For example, the lieutenant governor serves on the Agriculture-Water Transition Task Force (created by Governor Gray Davis), and five of the twenty-nine members of the oversight committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine are appointed by the lieutenant governor.
She has such other responsibilities and duties as the Governor shall assign.
Compensation
In 2010, the lieutenant governor received compensation in the amount of $130,490.[8] The lieutenant governor's salary, like that of all other state elected officials, is determined by the California Citizens Compensation Commission on an annual basis. The last time the lieutenant governor's compensation was changed was 2009, when the office's salary and benefits were cut by 18 percent.
Contact information
Capitol Office
State Capitol, Room 1114
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: 916-445-8994
Fax: 916-323-4998
See also
External links
References
- ↑ SFGate.com, "Lt. Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom to be sworn in by Jan. 10," December 31, 2010.
- ↑ Office of the California Lieutenant Governor, "About Gavin Newsom," accessed July 7, 2011.
- ↑ California Constitution, "Article 5, Section 9," accessed June 23, 2011.
- ↑ California Elections Code, "Sections 1001-1003," accessed June 23, 2011.
- ↑ California Government Code, "Section 1775," accessed June 23, 2011.
- ↑ BeyondChron, "What Should Really Matter in the Maldonado Confirmation", December 7, 2009
- ↑ Office of the CA Lieutenant Governor, "About the Office of the Lt. Governor," accessed June 23, 2011.
- ↑ Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2010 -- Table 4.11," accessed June 23, 2011.
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